Explanation:
Explanatory variable is controlled by the researcher for the given experimental study. The researcher can put some conditions on the variable and the results are calculated. Hence, it is clear that result of the manipulated variable is noted and the manipulated variable is known as explanatory variable. There could be more than one explanatory variable.
For example consider the variables number of hours spent in practicing for a sport and the result in that sport. Here, the number of hours spent practicing influences the performance of the athlete. Hence, the variable number of hours spent is known as explanatory variable.
Also, there is one major difference between an independent variable and explanatory variable. The independent variable is not affected by other independent variables whereas for the explanatory variables, the variables are not independent.